Luton vs Sunderland Prediction: Have the Hatters turned a corner?

Luton Town recorded a much-needed win as they defeated rivals Watford 3-0 at the weekend. Rob Edwards and his players will be hoping that this is a turning point in the Hatters' fortunes in the Championship.

Next up for them is league leaders Sunderland at Kenilworth Road on Wednesday (19:45, Sky Sports+), with the Black Cats winning two of their last three fixtures. Below you will find my Luton vs Sunderland prediction, featuring the latest match odds and team news.

Luton vs Sunderland Odds

Luton are 8/5, or a 38.5% chance, to win this clash. Sunderland are priced at 7/4 to take three points, giving them an implied probability of 36.4%. The draw can be backed at 23/10 (30.3%).

Both teams to score is on offer at 4/6 and over 2.5 goals is marketed at 10/11.

Sunderland duo Wilson Isidor and Romaine Mundle have netted three goals in the Championship so far this season, and they are 11/5 and 4/1 respectively to score anytime on Wednesday.

Luton's Carlton Morris has found the back of the net on three occasions this campaign and he is 5/2 to score anytime at Kenilworth Road.

His teammate Jordan Clark has scored twice in the league for the Hatters and you can back him at 7/2 to find the back of the net at any stage during this contest.

Football Odds

Team News

Mads Andersen remains out of action for the hosts with a leg injury, with the Danish defender only managing just one appearance this season in the second tier. Fellow centre-back Teden Mengi missed the win over Watford last time out because of a knock, and so he is once again a doubt to feature on Wednedsay.

Tom Holmes was forced off against the Hornets after racking up an assist in the game. If he's ruled out for the visit of Sunderland, he is likely to be replaced by Daiki Hashioka in the starting XI.

Striker Morris bagged his third goal of the season last time out and he is set to continue up top with Elijah Adebayo, who is still waiting to get off the mark in the Championship. Tahith Chong is set to operate behind them again with support coming from wing-backs Victor Moses and Alfie Doughty.

For Sunderland, full-back Niall Huggins is set to be out on the sidelines until the new year, so Trai Hume will hold the right-back spot uncontested until he returns to full fitness.

In a boost for boss Regis Le Bris, defender Dan Ballard has recovered from his own injury and is available for the trip to Luton, but he might not be able to dislodge the current pairing of Chris Mepham and Luke O'Nien.

The classy midfield of Dan Neil, Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham should remain unchanged, while Mundle, Isidor and Patrick Roberts should lead the line for the Black Cats.

Draw or Sunderland and both teams to score @ 7/5

The weekend's win over Watford feels like it could mark a huge turning point for Luton and Edwards this season. The Hatters were coming under scrutiny from a fraction of the supporters for the slow start to the campaign as for the first time in the second tier in recent history, Luton came in as one of the favourites for promotion.

Luton are seven points off the pace of the play-offs ahead of their match with Sunderland, and as we know, a deficit like that can be overturned quite quickly in the Championship.

To beat their rivals comfortably, who themselves had started the season well, will give them a huge lift, but Sunderland present a different kind of challenge. The Black Cats are the league leaders for a reason, and they still remain the favourites to take the three points in Luton's backyard.

Unfortunately for them, they are facing a different Hatters side to the one they were hoping for. It's still early days and they're not out of the woods yet, but the Watford result could be the spark for the hosts' season.

They will feel more up for the Sunderland test than they would have done this time last week, and the crowd will be spurring them on, hoping for another home victory.

It does feel like a tough game to call as a result, so I think the smart play here would be to cover both Sunderland and a draw. I'm expecting another strong performance from the home team, but a part of me thinks it still may not be enough to defeat this strong Sunderland team.

I've boosted the odds with both teams to score because it has been a winning selection in four of Luton's five matches at Kenilworth Road this term. It has also been frequent in Sunderland's matches on the road, with BTTS landing in three of their four away fixtures in the league.

Jordan Clark to receive a card @ 4/1

I think there could be value to be had in picking out a player to go into the book in this fixture, and one in particular stood out at an enticing 4/1 price - Luton's Clark.

The Hatters man is the club's joint-most carded player in the league this season with four (alongside Doughty). Both players are now walking a tightrope because we are nowhere near the 19-game mark and one more booking would see them suspended for a match.

After Sunderland, Luton head to fellow strugglers Coventry City in a crunch clash near the bottom of the table, so Edwards cannot afford to lose any of his key men for that trip.

Unfortunately, I can see this happening for Clark. I think he's too important not to play in the middle of the park so I am expecting him to keep his spot in the team. The reason why I think he will get booked is because he is coming up against one of the most talented midfields in the division in Neil, Rigg and Bellingham.

The trio can play some excellent football with each other at times, often easily bypassing their opposites on the other side of the pitch. I think they will be constantly drawing fouls from the Luton midfield, and I think Clark will end up paying a price because of that.

The 31-year-old has been penalised 12 times in the second tier in nine matches, and he is averaging 1.56 fouls per 90. I can see his average increasing here because of the calibre of players he will be lining up against.

He was given his latest yellow card on Saturday to push him on the brink of suspension. I believe this game will see him fall over the edge and result in him missing the trip to face the Sky Blues at the weekend.

Offers

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